Greta Thunberg Joins Violent French Student Protests, Wears Keffiyeh

Climate activist Greta Thunberg was seen in Paris on Tuesday joining a violent student protest that has caused chaos and destruction across France. Thunberg, a Swedish activist previously detained for attempting to break a blockade on Gaza, wore a Palestinian keffiyeh in solidarity with the protest movement. Her first stop was a high school in Saint-Denis, a suburb with a predominantly Muslim and African immigrant population, known for crime and drugs. The student protests, initially sparked by legitimate grievances, have become associated with the far-left LFI party, with dozens of Palestinian flags seen among participants and no French flags. A French news anchor questioned Thunberg's presence and the keffiyeh, asking, "I don't understand what this keffiyeh has to do with the student protest." Following the renewed protests, Minister of Education Edouard Geffray stated that approximately 200 schools were closed on Tuesday morning, fewer than the previous week. Thousands of young people and activists are participating in the fifth wave of protests in Paris, aiming to reignite the large-scale demonstrations that previously led to widespread chaos. The previous day, a shooting incident in Aubervilliers, where a 14-year-old student injured a teacher and a principal with a hunting rifle, caused a stir in France, though a connection to the student protests is not yet clear.